Douglas Elliman Property Management Data Breach (2021)

Thousands of New York residents who live in buildings run by Douglas Elliman’s property management arm may have had their personal information compromised this month. Douglas Elliman Property Management’s three managing directors emailed hundreds of co-operative and condominium boards Monday to advise them that the company’s IT network — which contains data for its buildings’ residents and employees — was breached and their personal information may have been compromised. In the message viewed by The Real Deal, executives said the firm detected “suspicious activity” on its IT systems April 7. After launching an investigation and contacting law enforcement, Elliman determined that an “unauthorized party” gained access to its IT network between April 5 and April 7 and including files containing owners’ and employees’ personal data. A source with knowledge of the situation said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved. Information that may have been compromised includes names, dates of birth, mailing addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers and financial information, according to the email. The company has not found any identity theft related to the breach.